Clinton Offers Up 'Summer Challenge' to Communities

ARLINGTON, VA.--President Clinton and several members of his Cabinet
came here last week to rally support for his embattled
economic-stimulus program among business, education, and government
leaders attending a conference designed to spur creativity in using
money in the proposal for youth employment, Chapter 1, and Head
Start.

Under the sponsorship of the Education and Labor departments, the
U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the National Alliance of Business, the
two-day "Summer Challenge'' conference drew 900 participants to discuss
what local program directors can do to plan for an influx of federal
money if Congress passes all or part of Mr. Clinton's $16.3 billion
economic-stimulus bill.

The package as proposed includes $1 billion for summer-youth
employment, $500 million for Chapter 1, and $500 million for Head
Start.

The conference also sought to stimulate business interest in the
summer-jobs and-education bill and reinforce the President's challenge
to the private sector to create 1 million new summer jobs for
youths.

For many participants, the key theme of the meeting was an attempt
on the federal level to make connections between services provided
under Head Start, Chapter 1, and the Job Training Partnership Act.

"I think what you're going to see is more coordination between Head
Start, Chapter 1, and J.T.P.A.,'' said Jim Bogan, a Chapter 1 section
administrator in the Louisiana education department. "We plan to do
that when we get back to Louisiana.''

"It's going to be real interesting because we know each other, but
we really don't talk to each other,'' Mr. Bogan added. "Now we're going
to.''

Marshaling Support

Mr. Clinton used his participation in the conference and in a
satellite-televised town meeting last week to marshal support for the
stimulus plan and to rouse those who will have the responsibility of
spending the additional federal money.

"I don't have all the answers, but I do know this: Doing nothing is
not the answer,'' the President said.

"We cannot go another 10 years without giving these children
something to say 'yes' to,'' he added.

The stimulus package remains mired in negotiations between the White
House, Senate Democrats, and Senate Republicans, who filibustered the
plan to a halt before the Congressional Easter recess.

Both sides stepped up their lobbying efforts last week, with
Democrats targeting moderate Republicans who might vote to break the
filibuster and Republicans holding their own town meetings.

Several Republican mayors attended the conference last week to
support Mr. Clinton's proposal.

Late last week, the President affirmed his willingness to compromise
on the overall size of the package, but said he would insist on
preserving the summer-jobs funding.

Observers said one funding item that is a likely target for a cut is
the $1.86 billion included in the measure to close a Pell Grant
shortfall. (See related story, page 23.)

The proposal also includes $300 million for childhood immunizations
and $15 million for a summer national-service program.

The President told conference participants that he, Secretary of
Education Richard W. Riley, and Secretary of Labor Robert B. Reich will
visit summer programs that are receiving stimulus money.

Making Head Start Plans

Meanwhile, participants spent the conference attending various
workshops on how to use the added federal dollars and how to form
linkages with other programs.

For example, Mary Nakashian, the executive deputy director of the
New York City Human Resources Administration, said the city will use
its money to serve Head Start-eligible children who now only
participate in city-provided day care.

"What we're going to be doing this summer is further blurring the
distinction between Head Start and day care,'' she said.

The additional $16 million the city expects to receive will also go
toward providing Head Start services in the early-evening hours by
soliciting the participation of high school students as aides, reaching
out to families of Head Start children, and establishing a
demonstration program for 200 high school students to explore child
services as a career.

The Health and Human Services Department last month sent guidance to
Head Start directors about the availability of funds and what they
could be used for.

Funds can be used to extend services to children and families
already enrolled, to expand services not being offered, and to begin
service for children who will qualify for 1993-94, the guidance
indicates. A percentage of the allocation must be set aside for
training and quality improvements.

Leeway on Chapter 1

Chapter 1 funds are to be distributed through a formula that focuses
on districts with the heaviest concentrations of economically
disadvantaged children.

Education Department officials said the funds can be used for the
same array of programs that Chapter 1 supports during the school year,
including staff development, parent education, and social services, as
well as more traditional remedial instruction.

As during the school year, funds must be spent for the benefit of
eligible children, eligible private school students must be included on
an equitable basis, and all students in schoolwide projects can be
served.

However, officials said, schools can choose to use the funds for
different purposes than they do during the school year, and can
allocate them differently if another option is allowable under the
regulations.

In addition, the supplemental allows more leeway than the regular
statute to fund field trips and other recreational activities, said
officials, who urged educators to mix such activities in with academic
instruction.

But districts that were already planning summer programs, which can
be funded from regular Chapter 1 allocations, do not have the
flexibility to redirect the additional funds to the next school year.
The funds must be used to supplement activities that were already
planned.

Jack Baptista, Chapter 1 coordinator for the Boston public schools,
said his district had decided this year to discontinue a longstanding
summer instructional program because the district stands to lose 16
percent of its current Chapter 1 budget. The supplemental funds would
allow the program to continue for another year, he said.

Most coordinators from districts that already have ongoing summer
programs said they planned to focus their supplemental funding on
noninstructional activities, such as staff training and parent
education.

For example, Preston Bryant, the assistant superintendent for
categorical programs for the Chicago schools, said his district would
launch new parent-involvement efforts, provide additional planning
assistance to schools whose Chapter 1 programs have been targeted for
program improvement, and evaluate those running schoolwide projects to
insure that they are operating "true schoolwide-improvement efforts,
not just add-ons.''

Job Training Tied to Study

Few details emerged at the conference on summer-youth jobs. Nor was
more information available on the academic-enrichment portion of the
plan, which has been touted by the Administration as a key
innovation.

At a news conference, Mr. Reich said that student workers will be
expected to undertake 90 hours of study over the summer and that the
department will evaluate the program before it begins and after it is
completed.

But he added that localities would be given as much flexibility as
possible, with the goal of preventing students' educational progress
from sliding back over the summer months.

Job-training officials are also planning for an increase in
funds.

Rogelio Trevino of the South Texas Private Industry Council Inc. in
Laredo, Tex., said he has asked nine local school districts to offer
more occupational and remedial instruction over the summer.

"We've had a lot of educational activity with the schools in the
past, so we're just expecting to expand it,'' he said.

Mr. Trevino said he hopes to find jobs for 2,000 students this
summer if the stimulus package is passed, 800 more than usual.

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